I am so excited that Lee & Low is now publishing Lulu Delacre’s Spanish early reader books Rafi y Rosi and Rafi y Rosi ¡Carnaval! It is not easy to find culturally-rich Spanish early reader books in the United States, and these are wonderful!

These Spanish early reader books feature two Puerto Rican tree frogs, Rafi and his sister, Rosi. Together they explore their surroundings and learn about the traditions, plants, animals, and environment of the island. The books are also available in English. The English editions integrate a few Spanish words related to the setting and culture and include a glossary of the words.

Kids will love the characters of Rafi and Rosi and their adventures. They will also learn fun, useful information about Puerto Rico from these Spanish early reader books. For example, in Rafi y Rosi they read about mangroves, how hermit crabs change their shells and the amazing Parguera Bioluminescent Bay. In Rafi y Rosi ¡Carnaval! readers are introduced to the festive traditions of Carnival. To build on the text, there is additional information about these features at the end of the stories.

Reading Comprehension – Spanish Early Reader Books

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Rafi y Rosi and Rafi y Rosi ¡Carnaval! are wonderful Spanish early reader books and a valuable resource for teachers and parents. These books are perfect for strengthening reading skills in Spanish. If you are a teacher or working with children who are learning to read in Spanish at home, you can ask questions and do activities to help them read more closely and understand the text. Download reading comprehension activities for Rafi y Rosi below.

Be sure to check out our Spanish summer reading program. We will have free activities and tips for parents and teachers to keep kids reading all summer long.

Talking about the stories is a good way to help children think about what they read. You can ask questions like:

There are also many kinds of written reading comprehension activities. I am including examples of a few basic activities that you can make for books at this level. The activities are for Rafi y Rosi and give children practice understanding the elements of character, setting and plot.

Hi Marina, You are so right to look for books that are only in Spanish! In terms of stories and picture books, I would suggest you search Amazon by publisher. Here a post with information about some of the best Spanish language publishers that make books available in the US (Combel, Anaya and others). I suggest books in the post, but it was written with Spanish learners in mind. The specific books might not be right, but the publishers will have other titles available. https://www.spanishplayground.net/how-to-find-childrens-books-in-spanish-one-easy-step/ For workbooks and reading practice, you will be able to find some online. I have used this: https://www.amazon.com/JUGUEMOS-LEER-LECTURA-ROSARIO-AHUMADA/dp/6071723302/ref=sr_1_1 and it was fine. It’s published by Trillas (there are other copies on Amazon – search Juguemos a Leer) You can search cartilla de lectura or lectoescritura on Amazon and there will be other options available, usually through third party sellers. Many are the classics – Coquito, Nacho, etc – and can be pretty expensive. If you are going to be traveling to Spain, or have anyone visiting, getting them there might be a better option. I brought back the Guía escolar from Mexico for my kids each year, and it was a huge help. You can also check issuu and find material that you can download and print. I have a “stack” titled lectoescritura – you can find my stacks here: https://issuu.com/spanishplayground/stacks, but again, it was created with Spanish learners in mind. Still, it will give you a place to start. If you get a free account on issuu, you can download the publications (click the share arrow and download is an option). Finally, you can go straight to Santillana’s website and look for material. Some things are only available as classroom sets, but you may find other material that is available individually. I know they have a line of authentic texts for native speakers.It might be worth giving them a call and seeing what is available. I hope that gives you a place to start. Good luck!